Intel's new laptop chips should start hitting shelves soon, packing those new 2500 and 4000 HD graphics chips in a package manufactured using Chipzilla's new 22nm process. And we're not talking about just one or two either. The CPU giant reiterated that 75 Ultrabook-branded machines are planned by various manufacturers for 2012, including "many touch-enabled systems." Which we take to mean some of those convertibletablets we saw at CES may actually see the light of day. If you're in the mood for a bit of corporate fluff check out the PR after the break.

New Technologies and Joint Lab Announcements to Advance More Secure, Connected Computing Experiences from Devices to the Cloud

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS Intel® Core™ processors with Intel® Small Business Advantage (Intel® SBA) are now available, providing additional tools for PCs to help small businesses increase security and productivity. Coming this quarter, Intel® HD Graphics 2500/4000 provides amazing 3-D graphics, further enhancing the resolution and visual detail of mainstream games and more. New, lab-to-lab collaborations with Intel Labs China, Lenovo* address the challenges in the mobile Internet area and China Mobile Research Institute* to apply Intel® architecture to wireless base stations to power the next-generation mobile network infrastructure.

INTEL DEVELOPER FORUM, Beijing, April 11, 2012 – Throughout Intel Corporation's developer forum that starts today, company executives emphasized the importance of collaborating with China's government and industry to help create new business and innovation opportunities for Intel and its 14 million developers worldwide. The management team detailed its vision of how such collaborations could potentially spawn the next-generation of advances in business, consumer electronics and many more industries around the globe.

"The impact of major global trends, such as the rapidly growing middle class as well as the explosive growth of connected, mobile Internet and cloud computing traffic, is playing out ten-fold in China," said Sean Maloney, executive vice president of Intel Corporation and chairman of Intel China.

For example, China became the largest PC market in the world last year, growing a remarkable 13 percent in 2011 and now represents 20 percent of all PC demand, according to IDC, a global industry analyst firm. In addition, IDC shows servers in China are growing at more than eight times the rate of the worldwide average over the past 5 years, making the country the second-largest data center market segment in the world. With more than 1 billion subscribers**, China is also the world's largest segment for mobile phones.

To address these and other opportunities, Intel executives speaking in Beijing highlighted several technology advancements and local collaborations designed to bring richer, more connected computing experiences from the cloud to computing devices of all types.

The announcements included the introduction of Intel® Small Business Advantage (SBA) designed to help maintain and protect PCs automatically and improved visual experience with built-in visuals on Intel's forthcoming 3rd generation Intel Core products with Intel® HD Graphics 2500/4000. The company also revealed that Intel Labs China will work closely with leading Chinese OEMs, operators and municipalities for ongoing technology research and development in China.

In his first speech since being appointed chairman of Intel China last year, Maloney opened the company's largest two-day technical conference in Asia by noting how overcoming barriers in technology represents more than just physics or engineering problem.

"As the world continues to advance, so too must semiconductor technology, and that is never more evident than today with the pending release of Tri-Gate transistors and 22 nm process technology," said Maloney. "Few individuals and industries will be untouched as powerful microprocessors, Internet-connections, and user experience breakthroughs are applied across the worlds of business, healthcare, education and the society at large."

Transforming the Personal Computing Experience During his keynote presentation, Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager of Intel's PC Client Group discussed how Intel is helping drive a dramatic change in the personal computing experience for consumers and businesses with new hardware, software and solutions. Ultrabook™ devices have already begun this transformation, and Skaugen showcased numerous systems on stage and reiterated that more than 75 designs are planned for 2012 with many touch-enabled systems expected. This next wave of Ultrabook devices, powered by 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors with Intel® HD Graphics 2500/4000, will bring significant performance improvements for even greater computing experiences.

To address the small business segment without IT support, Skaugen also announced Intel SBA will be available on the 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors. With Intel SBA, small businesses can maximize business productivity by keeping PCs performing at an optimal level while securing data by reducing the risk of virus disruptions, leakage of confidential data and data loss. Intel SBA is a simple-to-use integrated hardware and software solution that automatically provides regular software updates, strengthens security defenses and conducts maintenance tasks after-hours, even if the computer is turned off. OEMs supporting the Intel Small Business Advantage solution include Asus*, Dell*, Fujitsu* and Lenovo* as well as multiple local-OEMs around the world.

To help address online fraud, a common concern for consumers today, all Ultrabook devices will now include Intel® Identity Protection Technology, enabling a more secure and convenient way to access popular websites2. Skaugen announced that RenRen*, China's most popular social networking website, will incorporate Intel Identity Protection Technology as part of its focus on providing secure online experience for its users. Additionally, he disclosed relationships with Feitian Technologies* and DynamiCode Company*, both leading-edge second factor authentication security solution services that will incorporate Intel Identity Protection Technology into their products.

Collaborating for Datacenter and Cloud Success During her keynote on the second day of the conference, Diane Bryant, vice president and general manager of Intel's Datacenter and Connected Systems Group, will discuss how the rapid growth of users, devices and data is transforming information technology while also creating new opportunities for developers.

With more than 15 billion connected devices expected by 20153 – and the data center and cloud computing opportunities that support this level of connected devices – Bryant will say the key is open, standards-based solutions such as those defined by the Intel® Cloud Builders Program.

The Intel® Cloud Builders program enables ecosystem leaders to build and optimize the cloud infrastructure using open-standard solutions optimized for Intel architecture. Intel Cloud Builders brings together tools and best practices, including more than 70 reference architectures from a range of industry-leading cloud infrastructure systems and solutions providers, to address key challenges facing data center and cloud deployments such as security, manageability, and energy efficiency.

Bryant will share that the newly introduced Intel® Xeon processors are at the heart of the data center. The Intel Xeon E5-2600 product family is designed to scale and handle three times more data traffic than today, be more efficient and secure. With 80 percent more performance1,4 and 50 percent more performance per wattpercent1,5 compared to previous generations, the new Intel Xeon processors address the requirements of an ever-growing connected world.

Intel has extended its leadership in data center technology and product innovation with a strong and well-balanced portfolio of processors, developer resources and support that addresses today's workload challenges for key segments, including the emerging micro server category. Bryant will outline details of the company's 2012 processor roadmap for this category, and highlight how it continues to help customers deliver new levels of power efficiency and density while allowing them to also benefit from common software compatibility across Intel-based micro servers and traditional servers.

Intel Labs China: Aligning Research Collaboration and Innovation Emphasizing the importance of ongoing research with local partners in China, Intel Labs announced new joint research collaboration efforts with Lenovo* and China Mobile*. Intel and Lenovo's new lab-to-lab collaborative research efforts will address challenges in the mobile Internet area, such as security, context aware computing, cross screen experience and energy efficiency.

The China Mobile Research Institute (CMRI) is applying Intel architecture to wireless base stations to power next-generation mobile network infrastructure. As part of CMRI's Cooperative Radio Access Architecture (CRAN) vision, Intel Labs China and CMRI are engaging in research and ecosystem development to increase the speed and efficiency telecommunications networks through greater processing power and general computing capabilities. With CMRI and other ecosystem partners, Intel has produced a reference design prototype that demonstrates considerable improvements for lowering total cost of ownership. For example, IA signal processing-enabled CRAN technology can save telecommunications operators up to 15 percent in capital expenditures and reduce operations costs up to 50 percent, largely through power savings.

Intel Developer Forum IDF spans the worlds of mobility, digital enterprise, digital home, and technology and research. Held at the China National Convention Center on April 11-12, the event is geared toward the Chinese market in support of local innovation and Intel's industry leadership in the region. Next up on the IDF schedule is a one-day conference in Brazil on May 15 and a 3-day event in San Francisco, which will be held Sept. 11-13 at Moscone Center West. Further information is available at www.intel.com/idf.